Improved buckle



0. B. HATFIELD.

BUCKLE.

No. 43,236. PatgntedJune 13, 1865.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

H. BIOHARDS,.OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVED BUCKLE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent.No. 48,"J36, dated June 13, 1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Grits. B. HATFIELD, of Bostou,-in the county of Suflolk' and State of Massachusetts, have invented a newand Improved Buckle and I 'dohereby declare that the following is ajfull, clear, and exact-description thereof,'which will "enable those skilled in the art tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings, form'- ing part of this specification, in which- Figure'l is a yiew of my buckle, showingits application to a shoe. Fig. 2 is a detailed view of the tongue of the buckle. Fig. 3 .is a sectional view taken in the-line a m, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of my buckle when applied to the-strap of a shoe.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

My invention relates to that class of'buckles designed for fastening shoes, skatestraps, and

many otherpurposes; and it consists in forming the buckle of two separate parts, one of whichjs attached to a strap, it being a square or other shaped frame, having suitable lips on its under side, which enables it to slide along on. the strap and secures it to the tongue, said tongue constituting the other part, which is attached directlyto the article itself, and has a flange on its sides gradually increasing in depth toward its end, overwhich the lips of theother part slide and secure the two parts of the articles together.

To enable others to understand my invention, I will proceed to describe it as applied to a shoe.

Arepresen ts the ton gue of the buckle, formed witha neck, a,'on one end, which is secured to the heel part of the shoe. This neck is sobentthat the large part or body I) of the tongue will be somewhat raised from the leather. 0n the under side of this body b a flange, c, is

formed, which extends along its outer edge,

and slightly increases in depth as it reaches the end. ,The upper face of the body b isserrated, so as to prevent the strap slipping;

B represents'the frame of the buckle; which is made many desirable shape. On the under side of the heme B two lips, d,' are formed, one on each side, which are turned inward, and are of sufiicientdepth and width to receive between them the strap 0,0n which they slide. as well as to lap over the lower part of the flangue c on the tongueA.

To operate the buckle, slide the frame B near the end of the strap 0; then draw on the strap (3 until the two parts to be united are brought sufficiently near'together; then push the slide until it is directly over the neck of the tongue A; then press it down and push it forward until its lips catch over the flanges 0, audit will be found that the farther it is: pushed forward the tighter will the straps be clamped, and thus. the parts will be held tightly together.

Some advantages of th is buckle may be stated as follows: First, cheapuessin manufacture, as the buckle may be made and sold at oue-half the rates of those now employed for thesame purpose; second, it can be attached to the arti cle on which it'is to be used more quickly and at less expense than the buckles now in use, for the reasonthat no second strap is employed, which requires considerable time to properly secure it to the shoe or other article, whereas the tongue of my buckle is attached by merely riveting it to the shoe, and it dispenses with the necessity of having two straps; third, at patent-leather strap may be used, which cannot with the buckles usually employed,for they scratch and mar the enamel so.m uch as to make it undesirable to use such straps; fourth, the strap and buckle are allowed a lateral motion, for'the reason that the tongue turns on its rivet, which makes the shoe easier to the foot; fifth, the buckle lies flat upon the shoe and does notin any way interfere with the pantaloous; sixth, the frame of the buckle, or that part which is visible when the buckle is attached to anything, maybe made of any shape, and-consequently it can beornamented to any desired extent, which the buckles at present in use do not admitof.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

'A buckle for fastening shoes and other articles, constructed and applied substantially in the manner herein shown and described.

cans. B. HATFIELD.

Witnesses:

M. M. LIVINGSTDN, 0.11. TorLIrF. 

